Colbert v NASA, Milky Way Ambient, Brandjunkie, February’s Web

ASA’s online contest to name a new room at the international space station went awry. Comedian Stephen Colbert won. The name “Colbert” beat out NASA’s four suggested options in the space agency’s effort to have the public help name the addition. The new room will be launched later this year. NASA’s mistake was allowing write-ins. Colbert urged viewers of his Comedy Central show, “The Colbert Report” to write in his name. And they complied, with 230,539 votes. That clobbered Serenity, one of the NASA choices, by more than 40,000 votes. Nearly 1.2 million votes were cast by the time the contest ended Friday.

Propelled by Valentine’s Day, US tax preparation activities, and a seasonal itch to travel, Flowers/Gifts/Greetings and E-cards, tax preparation and travel sites were among the few online categories that made gains in the shorter-than-average month of February, according to comScore’s analysis of US data from its MediaMetrix service.